‘Supergirl’: Andrew Kreisberg Talks “More Traditional” Superman

While fans may complain about the films of the DC Extended Universe being too “dark and gritty”, the DC shows on the CW seem to be itching the “good times” scratch fans have been clamoring over. Between ‘Arrow’, ‘The Flash’, ‘Legends of Tomorrow’, and now the recent addition of ‘Supergirl’ (which had its first season on CBS), these shows are unafraid to be fun, comic book-y, and optimistic, while still finding their moments of legitimate darkness and drama. Seeing the CW shows tackle major players like the Flash, Green Arrow, and Firestorm has been fun, but now, the team gets to play with one of DC’s biggest heavy hitters: Superman. Now that ‘Supergirl’ will be running on the CW with its second season, Kara’s big, blue cousin will join the show, and by extension, the DC CW Universe, played by ‘Everybody Wants Some!!’ star Tyler Hoechlin. And after the grim cynicism of the DCEU’s Superman, Clark Kent joining the CW party is an opportunity to have fun with the Man of Tomorrow again. And it sounds like the people behind the show agree.

In an interview with Collider, ‘Supergirl’ co-developer/executive producer Andrew Kreisberg (who’s also a major force behind all the other DC CW shows) talked at-length about Season 2, and there are plenty of great nuggets of information regarding what fans should expect for this season. But with the addition of Superman being a major factor of the show moving forward, Kreisberg had to talk about their take on the character.

I think our take on him is probably something a little bit more traditional. There’s certainly a little bit of the “Aw shucks” about him, but he’s been Superman for awhile, so there’s a savviness about him as Superman and as Clark. If he’s been Superman for 12 years, that also means that he’s been Clark Kent for 12 years. He knows how to interview somebody. He knows how to get a story out of someone. As always, with any of these things, we’re never doing a direct adaptation of a specific comic book. We cherry pick the best parts and things that we love. So, there’s a little bit of the Christopher Reeve Superman in there, a healthy dose of the Superman animated series, which we’re huge fans of, a little bit of Lois & Clark, a little George Reeves, and a little Super Friends.

He also talked about Tyler Hoechlin, the actor who will get to put on the iconic blue suit, and he talks about how big a get Hoechlin was for them.

As far as finding the right guy, as soon as we said we were going to do Superman, Greg [Berlanti] mentioned Tyler [Hoechlin]. We’ve been fans of his for years, and when we sat down with him, he is Superman. Not just with the looks, but he’s such a good guy, such a nice guy, and he’s so open and forthright and brimming with life. You just feel better when you’re around him, which I think is part of the secret of Superman. He is that ideal, but not in an unattainable way. Superman should make you feel like you can do anything, even though he’s the one that can do anything. And Tyler just had all that in spades. So, it was less a question of us reaching out. It was more a question of hoping he would say yes. After Tyler, I’m not sure what we would have done.

Just from these paragraphs, it sounds like Kreisberg and company get Superman. ‘The Flash’ and ‘Supergirl’ have worn their TV predecessors’ influence on their sleeves greatly, so it’s nice to see Kreisberg cite ‘Lois and Clark’, ‘Superman: The Animated Series’, ‘Super Friends’, and even George Reeves as inspirations. It seems like we’re in for a charming, lovable, good old-fashioned Superman this season, and I’m looking forward to it greatly.

Cali boy. Disciple of Spider-Man. Still a million bucks shy of being a millionaire.

SAMURAI36

At first glance, I have to admit that I’m more inclined towards the DCEU version of Superman, in terms of both aesthetics as well as character. However, I’m sure I’ll like the DCTV version just fine as well.

Carl

I’m very excited to see how this Superman turns out. It really sounds like the creators care a great deal about the character and making him a true representation of the iconic Man of Steel we all know and love.